Hogwarts' Secrets and How to Use Them
by Firstwarden932
Summary: Summary: Harry is greeted by someone other than Dumbledore the night of his death in the forest and is offered a second chance to redo his life with a special gift. This story is most likely going to be in the realms of !crack. Pairing TBD.
1. Chapter 1

Hogwarts' Secrets and How to Find Them

Summary: Harry is greeted by someone other than Dumbledore the night of his death in the forest and is offered a second chance to redo his life with a special gift. This story is most likely going to be in the realms of !crack.

Harry Potter felt weird. He thought that dying would be a little different than just opening his eyes and it being like any other day. He sat up and took in his surroundings. The room looked like the DA meeting room from fifth year, down to the large wooden door leading back out to the rest of the school.

"Welcome Harry Potter, to Limbo." A voice called out to Harry from behind him. "Now before you ask all the questions that I know are running through your head, let me introduce myself. I have gone by many names but you can call me Death." As Harry turned around he saw the figure calling himself Death, dressed in the stereotypical black robe with a scythe standing against the far wall.

"You said I'm in Limbo?" Harry managed to say after gathering his thoughts.

"Yes and we need to have a talk Mister Potter." Death said while gesturing to a bench along one of the walls. "First, yes, you are dead but I stopped you from moving on straight away because you are an interesting case. One I never thought would ever happen. Tell me, what do you know about the Peverell bothers?"

"I don't think I recognize the name… sir." Harry hesitated because he couldn't tell if Death was a man or woman.

Death carried on like he didn't hear the hesitation. "They were an old family and the three brothers managed to earn three boons from me. Something I did not see the consequence of until much later and could not stop."

"Are you talking about the story of the Three Brothers from The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Harry asked with a look of surprise on his face, he started to wonder how many of those stories might actually be true.

"Ahh yes that story book. I haven't heard of that for at least 50 of your years, not since the followers of Grindelwald started showing up in your second Great War. But yes those brothers were real and so were my boons, an unbeatable wand, a stone to speak with those whom I have collected, and a cloak of invisibility that hid the wearer even from me. I had unknowingly let loose the things that if controlled by one person had the power to be my equal, the only person whom I could not reap." Death explained to the young man in front of him.

"So what does this have to do with me?" Harry asked with another look of confusion on his face.

"Simple," Death extended his hand and a symbol appeared- a circle in a triangle intersected by a line, each one separating from each other. "Starting from the outside, the cloak of Invisibility again hides the wearer even from me, the Resurrection Stone able to call the shades of those who have passed through onto the next life, and finally the wand which I believe was called the Elder Wand. Aptly named if not so clever, I crafted it from an elder tree near the river at the time. You know the rest from the story book I take it?"

Harry nodded his head a theory forming in his head. "Yes the eldest brother had his throat slit when the Elder Wand was stolen from him." Harry looked at the wand that now looked very similar to the one that just killed him. "The stone drove the middle brother to suicide when he used it to bring back his dead fiancé and couldn't stand being unable to touch her and the youngest brother passed the cloak to his son when he grew old." Now Harry was staring at the cloak.

"Yes he truly was the wisest of the three. Anyway as soon as you used the Resurrection Stone in the forest your spirit changed and I knew I had to greet you."

"Okay but how did that happen? I only had two of the Hallows in my possession at the time."

"Ah yes, you see the Elder Wand doesn't just answer to the one who holds it. It's true master is one who has won it off the old."

"Didn't Snape win it off of Dumbledore when he killed him?" Harry asked still confused.

"That would be true if Dumbledore was the master of the wand at the time, you don't need to kill to be the new master, just win it off of them."

"Draco disarmed the Headmaster before Snape showed up. Does that make him the master of the wand?"

"Yes but the wand can recognize a new master even if it hasn't been taken directly. Remember how you took his wand when you escaped from his manor?"

"Are you saying I am the master of the Elder Wand?" Harry asked as it all began to form in his head. He watched as Death sat back on the bench.

"Yes you are the master of the Elder Wand and therefore the 'Master of Death' as the stories put it. However as I said earlier you are considered my equal and I cannot reap you." Death pulled back his hood and looked at Harry. Harry finally found out Death looked human. "What expecting a skeleton under the hood?"

"No… yes… I don't know." Harry stammered out. "So if I can't be reaped by you why are we here?"

"That is simple. While you cannot be reaped by me we still get to have a lovely conversation until one of decides to have you return to the world of the living. At the moment you don't know how to do that so it's up to me. Anyway back on track, now that you are in possession of the Hallows you will notice a change in them. They will change when you return and they will appear on you at will. The stone will become a pendent if you want and will be unable to be removed from you. You can use it to summon a person for a short amount of time, as a spirit but they will need to remain on the other side for some time before they can be summoned again. Finally the cloak will always fit and will never tear or wear down, but be warned that it will not stop offensive spells.

Now normally I would bring you to the afterlife, but again, you're special so now you get a choice. Go back to finish this and be unhappy because of those you have lost, or I can send you back and let you try again armed with more knowledge. This is a one-time offer. I will let you stay and learn from those long passed. You will _not_ get to stay forever. If you say yes then you will be stronger than before but not unbeatable.

"I get to go back and do it again?" Harry asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes- but I expect you to do better this time."

"Wait who would I be learning from?"

Death stood up and walked over to the giant doors that would normally lead to the rest of Hogwarts castle, and turned around a yard or two in front of the door. "I will let someone else answer that question." He stepped aside and the doors opened and in walked a man dressed in old middle age style clothes. With a pointed goatee and well-groomed salt and pepper hair.

"Greetings young one, I have been told that you need to learn a few things."

"That would be nice sir but first who are you?" Harry asked as he stood up to shake the man's hand.

"Of course where are my manners?" He straightened up and gave a deep bow, "Salazar Slytherin at your service."

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A/N: This is the first chapter i have written and am posting this to get a feel to see if anyone is interested. I am working on an outline for the story and will try to get more written fast. My beta is a IRL friend and is working with me to proof the story as I go.


	2. Salazar's Lessons

Chapter 2

Harry stood dumbstruck at Slytherin for a couple of moments after shaking his hand. "So sir what are you going to be teaching me?"

"I am going to be teaching you most of the secrets of Hogwarts and some rituals to help yourself out when you get there, but nothing to big as we don't want to overdo it at first." Slytherin looked around the room and smiled. "Ah the pride and joy of Rowena, she spent the better part of two decades working on this room. I personally helped her with the rune work on the loadstone, now we need to start with the basics." The room shifted to the Headmasters office.

Harry very surprised at the sudden shift in venue finally spoke up after overcoming his shock. "Sir, why are you here teaching me?" He crossed the room and sat down in one of the chairs facing the desk meant for visitors.

"Simple Death has rules to follow; he can only allow ancestors to visit. I am one of the earliest you have and the best for you to learn Hogwarts secrets." Harry looked at the Founder with awe.

"Wait…. We are related, how…" Harry looked into Slytherin's eyes for the first time and saw the same eyes looking back at him. "Mum!"

"Yes Lilly Evans she wasn't too shocked as she believed that most muggleborns are just squib lines infused with magic. The first thing you need to know is that as a descendent of mine you have the ability to speak to snakes. The snakes in paintings and tapestries are all sentient and will talk to you. You would be surprised at how many there are in the castle."

"Okay so talk to all the snakes. What about the basilisk in the chamber I don't want to have to kill that thing again I might not survive?"

"Merlin you had to fight Alessia. How are you alive?" Slytherin looked ashen as he thought about the size of the basilisk after a thousand years of growth.

"Well I had Fawkes the phoenix helping me. He gouged out her eyes and cried into the wound when I got bitten after stabbing her In the mouth with the sword of Gryffindor." Harry ran his hand through his hair as he recalled the events.

"You never should have needed to do that she was supposed to be a protector. I guess that is the first thing to handle when you get back go to her and call her out and go claim control of the family ring I hidden in the statue. She will only listen to you after that." Slytherin looked outraged at the fact that his pet was used in such a way. "Don't worry about the politics my family was never a member of the Wizards Counsel even though there is an invitation waiting to this day as far as I am aware."

"Anyway back to the matter at hand, Hogwarts. The first thing that you will need to do is accesses one of the wardstones that was planted. You can find this one in the dungeons just past the Common room for my students. You will then have partial control of the wards."

"Will the Headmaster be aware of this?" Harry asked not wanting to explain to Dumbledoor how he knew about everything.

"No he will not as a heir to the castle you supersede him in matters of the castle's defenses. Now as long as you do not access the others then you will not reveal yourself to the headmaster if you need to do this be aware that unless another heir comes forth you will run the school in all but name.' Slytherin looked very serious as he continued. After you deal with Alessia start with the first ritual I will teach you."

"Aren't rituals Dark? They are not taught at school." Harry asked just a little scared.

"Dear Lord no the ones that are require unwilling sacrifice and always take something from the person preforming them usually some if not all of their sanity. The ones I will show you were used when we taught the students. It will from a better connection to your body and magic itself. Let's start there." Salazar started with the basic ritual that is the building block and covered the theory behind the Old Magics.

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A/N: Sorry this is taking so long to write. Life is a thing and I was never that good at writing. My muse is starting to come back to me so I should get more out.


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